Harare - Zimbabweans have approved a new constitution that
curbs the powers of the president and puts the turbulent southern African
country a step closer to holding full elections in the next few months, the
election commission said on Tuesday.

Nearly 95 percent of voters in a referendum approved the new
charter which was supported by President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai, political rivals who were forced into a power-sharing deal
after disputed elections in 2008.

The official turnout, at slightly more than half the 6
million eligible voters, was higher than many analysts had expected.

The new charter sets a maximum of two five-year terms for
the president. However, the limit will not apply retroactively, so Mugabe, 89
and in power since independence from Britain in 1980, could rule for the next
decade.

Presidential decrees will also require majority backing in
the cabinet, and declaring emergency rule or dissolving parliament will need
the approval of two-thirds of lawmakers, changes that will take effect after
the next election.

A new constitution and a referendum were conditions of the
2008 power-sharing deal and Tsvangirai has said there would be no point in
holding new elections without a new supreme law.

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A Zimbabwean professional hunter and a local landowner will appear in court on poaching charges for allegedly killing a much-loved lion called Cecil, officials say, after the felion's death caused widespread outrage.

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